Supply roll of bags and verified quantity and use thereof

ABSTRACT

For plastic bags put up as a supply roll from which the bags are detached one-at-a-time from a free end thereof in the bagging of dry cleaned garments to obviate soilage during transit to the customer&#39;s home, the sequential numbering of the bags in the supply roll to verify the starting quantity and usage at the bagging site.

[0001] The present invention relates to improvements in the practice ofbagging with plastic dry cleaned garments and like articles to minimizesoilage during transit from the dry cleaning facility to the user'shome, as well as providing this function also during home storage of thedry cleaning and, as is also common, packing the dry cleaningpreparatory to a vacation trip.

EXAMPLES OF THE PRIOR ART

[0002] To preserve the dry cleaned condition of objects, and primarilyof clothing, it is prepared for transit at the dry cleaning facility fortransit home by enclosure in a plastic bag removed from the free end ofa plastic tube put up in a supply roll, the bag for this end use beingremoved in sequence one bag at a time. This practice is well documentedin the patented literature, as exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 3,590,990for “Rolled Garment Holding Bag Material” issued to Robin on Jul. 6,1971 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,181,773 for “Bag and Bag Supply” to Jelling etal. on May 4, 1965, to mention but a few. This practice thus uses toadvantage the plastic construction material of the bag to minimizesoilage, but little else such as, for example, any utility that can bederived from the manner in which the bagging procedure is implemented.

[0003] Broadly, it is an object of the present invention to overcome theforegoing and other shortcomings of the prior art.

[0004] More particularly, it is an object to also use to advantage theone-bag sequential removal of the bags during the preparation of the drycleaning for transit to provide useful business information to theproprietor of the dry cleaning facility, all as will be betterunderstood as the description proceeds.

[0005] The description of the invention which follows, together with theaccompanying drawings should not be construed as limiting the inventionto the example shown and described, because those skilled in the art towhich this invention appertains will be able to devise other formsthereof within the ambit of the appended claims.

[0006]FIG. 1 is a floor-rack bag dispensing apparatus with bag spreadingelements for use with a bag supply provided in accordance with theinvention;

[0007]FIG. 2 is a section, taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

[0008]FIG. 3 illustrates a portion of flatted tubing, the seams and tearlines thereof; and

[0009]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a bag producing machine.

[0010] The invention, as will be better understood as the descriptionproceeds, is a covering in a bag configuration 10 primarily for clothingitems 12 to prevent soilage during transit and storage which initially,as noted in FIG. 1, is an elongated tube 14 of a selected length ofplastic construction material having transverse lines of perforations,individually and collectively designated 32, at spaced apart intervals,as noted at 16, lengthwise of the elongated tube 14 delimiting baglengths identified by the intervals' designation 16, sequentiallynumbered, either in ascending or descending order, in what will beunderstood to be in hundredths' denominations, as permitted by aselection of the length of the elongated tube 14. Custom in the trade isto provide approximately 400 bags per elongated tube 14. At a site ofmanufacture, such as illustrated in FIG. 4, the sequential numbers areapplied, as at locations 114, on each bag 10. The thusly numbered bags10 are then put up in a supply roll 54 and sent to a purchaser thereofat a dry clearing facility, as illustrated in FIG. 1, at which the baglengths 16 are detached one at a time from a free end 22 of the supplyroll 54 along a line of perforations 32 incident to placement incovering relation over an item of clothing 12 and the number of thuslyused bags 10 readily calculated by the number 24 applied to the next tobe detached bag 10.

[0011] By virtue of the sequentially numbering of the bag lengths asjust described, at the end of the supply roll 20, the bags shouldcorrespondingly have imprinted high numbers thereon reflecting theirposition at the end of the strip or tube, and assuring the dry cleanerthat he/she was supplied with the quality of bags paid for.Additionally, by keeping track of the number of the bags used, theproprietor obtains a gauge of the business activity that may be useful,particularly when the business is entrusted to another during a periodwhen the proprietor is not on the premises.

[0012] For completeness sake, it is noted that the apparatus employedwith the numbered bags is illustrated in FIG. 1. It employs a bag supplyin the form of a continuous series of bags defined or formed in apliable, flatted tubing.

[0013] Such a flatted tubing is illustrated in FIG. 3 wherein the frontand back plastic walls 30, fabricated for example of pliablepolyethylene and having a normal thickness of several ten-thousandths ofan inch, are arranged in substantially parallel, opposed face-to-faceproximate relationship.

[0014] This tubing is provided with a plurality of equidistantly spacedalignments or transverse lines 32 of perforations which constitute tearlines and divide the tubing into a sequence of separable sections orbags having, for example, leading edges L and trailing edges T. Thealignments 32 are preferably arranged perpendicularly with respect tothe longitudinal axis of the tubing and with respect to the lateralextremities or edges 34 and 36 thereof.

[0015] Adjacent each of the tear lines are provided seams 38 and 40extending from positions 42 and 44 respectively which are equidistantlyspaced on opposite sides of the center axis of the tubing. The seamswhich may be formed by heat sealing and like techniques extend, forexample, in angular disposition with respect to the aforesaid tear linesto the lateral extremities 34 and 36 of the tubing, The seams providefor closing one end of the associated bag and eventually come to bearagainst the articles being covered such as, for example, against theshoulders of a suit jacket or the like.

[0016] The seams 38 and 40 are provided with openings 46 and 48 that areapproximately as wide as the distance between portions 42 and 44. Theseopenings are preferably equidistant from the center axis of the tubingand further are preferably spaced by equal distances from the lateralextremities 34 and 36.

[0017] The tubing of FIG. 3 is generally supplied in the form of a rollsuch as indicated in the form of rolls 50, 52 and 54 of FIG. 1. Eachroll such as, for example, roll 54, is mounted on a horizontal shaft 56having a supporting spool 58 thereon. The rolls are mounted and retainedin horizontal disposition by a floor rack or frame 60 that may assumevarious forms.

[0018] The frame illustrated in FIG. 1 comprises generally two verticalrods 62 and 64, which, together with angled rods 66 and 68, constitutethe four legs of the structure, these legs being connected by horizontalbars 70, 72, 74, and 76. The respective shafts of rolls 50, 52 and 54are mounted in horizontal disposition on elements 66 and 68 whereby ahorizontal axis of rotation is provided for each of these rolls.

[0019] The flatted tubing 78 drawn from the roll 54 for use is passedbetween guide bars or rollers 80 and 82 and then between guide bars orrollers 84 and 86.

[0020] Guide bars 84 and 86 between which passes the flatted tubing 78are the terminal guide members engaging the flatted tubing before thelatter is applied to an article to be covered. These terminal guideelements 84 and 86 are superposed with respect to a vertical post 88which, by means of a bracket 90 attached to horizontal rod 74, is fixedin position relative to frame 60. Post 88 is provided with a grooved,adjustable head 92 adapted to receive the hook of a hanger 9 (shown inphantom lines) and which when fixed in position defines a bagging zoneor station.

[0021] Two spreading elements 94 and 96 are provided which are envelopedby the tubing 78 and which operate to spread the leading edge or mouthof the bag which is next sequential to the bag being applied to anarticle suspended by post 88.

[0022] Spreading elements 94 and 96 are spaced apart at a predetermineddistance corresponding to the distance between openings 46 and 48 inseams 38 and 40 in FIG. 3. The bottom extremities of elements 94 and 96are spaced above head 92, but by no more than the length of a singlebag.

[0023] The application of the flatted tubing 78 to the spreadingelements 94 and 96 is best seen in FIG. 2 wherein the tubing andspreading element 94 are shown in section.

[0024] In FIG. 2 it is seen that tubing 78 consists of opposed andintimately adhering walls 98 and 100 where said tubing approaches theupstream extremity of the spreading element.

[0025] The upper extremity 102 of each spreading element is shaped inthe form of a hook by means of which the spreading element is suspendedfrom the guide bar 82 in floating relation. The terminal portion orupstream end of the spreading element is provided with a smooth orbulbous protrusion 104 consisting of two hemispheres 106 and 108fastened by a pin 110 to said upstream end. The purpose of the bulbousprotrusion is to avoid contacting the tubing 78 with sharp or roughedges whereby said tubing may be torn.

[0026] A straight intermediate portion 112 of each spreading elementdepends downwardly from the hook shaped portion 102, said intermediateportion terminating downstream in a bifurcated structure 114 (FIG. 2)consisting of diverging legs 116 and 118 which constitute with portion112 an inverted Y-shaped structure. Said legs terminate in respectivearcuately shaped portions 120 and 122 which are toed-in to avoid endwiseengagement with the walls of the aforesaid tubing.

[0027] In operation, flatted tubing 78 is drawn from roll 54 and ispassed over the upstream bulbous ends 104 of the spreading elements 94and 96 and is then drawn along said spreading elements in envelopingrelationship with respect thereto between guide rollers 80 and 82 andthence between guide rollers 84 and 86. The tubing is then drawn overthe bifurcated structure 114 of each of spreading elements 94 and 96 andis drawn towards the bagging station.

[0028] A garment, for example, supported on a hanger is suspended frommeans 92 on post 88 in position for a bagging operation. The tubing isdrawn downwardly over said garment and hanger, the hook of which passesbetween positions 42 and 44 (FIG. 3) of the foremost bag. At the sametime, spreading elements 94 and 96 pass through openings 46 and 48 andenter into the leading edge of the next successive bag. With seams 38and 40 seating against the garment which is being covered, the spreadingelements 94 and 96 are in such a position in the next successive gag asto maintain the leading edge or mouth thereof in opened condition whenthe foremost bag is detached along the corresponding tear line. Thegarment can then be removed and the leading edge of the next successivebag readily engaged by the operator since the walls 98 and 100 arespread apart as is indicated generally in FIG. 1 although in operationthis leading edge would of course be in much loser proximity to thebagging station.

[0029] The numbering of the bags 10 is preferably done at the site ofmanufacture of the elongated tube 14, a site at which the tube 14 isalso put up as a supply roll 54 and thusly readied for shipment to thesite of use (FIG. 1) for use, as previously described, on the apparatusof FIGS. 1 and 2 to produce a numbered bagged garment as illustrated inFIG. 3. Any one of several bag-producing machines are commerciallyavailable for use at a site of manufacture (FIG. 4), but forcompleteness sake it is noted, with reference to FIG. 4, the preferreduse of a bag making machine 126 as shown therein. A supply roller 127 ofa synthetic plastic web lies on a unwinding block 128. The web 110passes over a compensating swinger 129 with a deflecting roller 130further over a stationary deflecting roller 131 to the printing markssupplying device 114. The device 114 separates the segments 120 with theprinting marks 24 from the printing marks strip 116 and attaches them tothe web 110. The printing marks supplying device 114 is provided beforethe pair of pulling rollers 113, 113 a considered in the movementdirection 132 of the synthetic plastic web. The pulling roller 113 isdriven and controlled by a chain of the printing marks supplying device.FIG. 4 shows the printing mark which is, of course, the previouslydescribed number 24 in sequence after the previously applied mark.

[0030] While the sequentially numbered dry cleaning-protecting plasticgags, as well as their method of use herein shown and disclosed indetail is fully capable of attaining the objects and providing theadvantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that it is merelyillustrative of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention andthat no limitations are intended to the detail of construction or designherein shown other than as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A covering in a bag configuration primarily forclothing items to prevent soilage during transit and storage comprisinginitially an elongated tube of a selected length of plastic constructionmaterial, transverse lines of perforations at spaced apart intervalslengthwise of said elongated tube delimiting bag lengths in hundredths'denominations as permitted by a selection of said length of saidelongated tube, numbers applied to said bag lengths in sequentialnumerical order, and said numbered elongated tube put up in a supplyroll, whereby said bag lengths are detached one at a time from a freeend of said supply roll along said line of perforations incident toplacement in covering relation over an item of clothing and the numberof thusly used bags denoted by the number applied thereto.